Warne's TV show pulled after dismal ratings

Sydney, Jan 5: Former international cricketer Shane Warne's final episode of "Warnie" has been scrapped and will no longer be aired.

The Nine Network said that Australia's poor performance in the Ashes Test is to be blamed for the fifth and final episode of the cricket-themed variety show being dumped.

The show was scheduled to be aired on January 6, and Nine says the decision was largely based on the fact the Ashes series had been largely wrapped up by the end of the Melbourne Test last week.

"The reality is that the series wrapped up after the Melbourne Test and so there was no need for a show on January 6," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted a spokeswoman for the network as saying.

She also said there were no major pre-recorded interviews lost, as the final show was always intended to be more of a live TV event.

Nine have said they were suitably impressed with Warne's debut performance as a host.

"I think people were pretty impressed with Shane ... he was a very, very comfortable host," the spokeswoman added.

Warnie, which was broadcast corresponding to each leg of the Test, has struggled to find viewers since it first aired on November 24, despite attracting big names like James Packer, Sir Michael "Parky" Parkinson, Coldplay's Chris Martin, Sting and Dannii Minogue to the couch.